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Chapter
1
The Discipline of
Psychology and Nutrition
Adherence: A Logical
Partnership
How is it possible that Ronald McDonald is the second most recognizable
icon, next to Santa Claus, for this generation’s children? More than likely,
some extremely clever advertisers on Madison Avenue are responsible for
making the public loyal to this food brand. This, of course, is not the only
explanation for how nearly 4 million children, ages 6–11, and 5.3 million
adolescents, ages 12–19, were overweight or obese in 2002, according to the
American Heart Association or that since 1991, the prevalence of obesity
among American adults has increased 75 percent.1,2 However, with the coming of age of eye-catching prepackaged foods, fast food outlets that offer toys
and incentives with each meal, super-sized portions, and ever-increasing
time demands on our lives, adhering to a healthy eating pattern is becoming more and more difficult. It seems as if these by-products of modern society are thwarting our efforts and clouding our thinking when it comes to
eating in our best interest.
As a society, we are very fortunate to have at our disposal a plethora of
nutrition and health-based knowledge; however, integrating this knowledge into our demanding lives is becoming increasingly difficult. Now, the
time is ripe for the discipline of psychology to provide the bridge between
nutritional information and using this information to adhere to a healthy
eating pattern. As you will soon see, the relationship between psychology and
the field of nutrition is a logical and natural relationship.
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A WORD ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY
Before understanding the benefits that the discipline of psychology can
have on nutrition adherence, it is important to have a comprehensive grasp
of the field of psychology. Many individuals have a limited perspective of the
field of psychology. Usually what comes to mind when one hears the word
“psychologist” is an image of a therapist analyzing a patient’s thoughts.
This area of psychology, known as clinical psychology, is only one aspect of
what psychologists study. Many psychologists are actually research scientists
and use humans as their subjects to test their theories of human nature. The
formal definition of psychology from the Concise Oxford Dictionary is “the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.”3
Research psychologists study an extremely diverse range of issues such as
how humans learn, remember, and process new information. There are psychologists who research the personality characteristics of those individuals
with high and low self-esteem and those researchers who study athletes and
the mental factors that lead to their peak performances. Psychologists even
study the role that genetics play in personality formation from infancy to
old age. Of particular importance to this book, there are psychologists who
focus their research on eating behavior. As you can see, psychologists study
and research the entire gamut of human behavior, both normal and abnormal. Just as medical researchers do, research psychologists use the
scientific method (the collection of data through observation or experimentation) to test their hypotheses, frequently with an independent variable
(a variable that the experimenter manipulates) and dependent variable (the
outcome variable or human behavior) and then publish their findings and
theories in professional journals.
GATHERING INFORMATION WITH VARIOUS
RESEARCH ME THODS
One common thread that ties most research psychologists together is the goal
of understanding and predicting human behavior. In particular, psychologists are innately curious as to what propels our behavior in specific and
general situations. They might investigate questions such as “Are individuals likely to consume more calories when having a meal by themselves or
with other individuals present at the table?” or “Are there specific colors
that stimulate an individual’s desire to eat?” These research questions can be
tested using a variety of research methods that will give us information about
how a typical person will behave in a specific situation. Psychologists do not
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Gathering Information with Various Research Methods
rely entirely on experimental methods to test their hypotheses, but instead
examine the research question from various methodological designs.
Experimental Method
Let’s look back at the question “Are individuals likely to consume more
calories when having a meal by themselves or with other individuals present at the table?” A researcher could test this question and implement any
one of at least seven different research methods. By testing this question with
an experimental design, the researcher would form two conditions: a control condition in which the participant eats their meal alone and the experimental condition in which the participant is surrounded with two or
three acquaintances at his or her table. The independent variable in the
study would be the number of people present at the dining table, while the
dependent variable would be operationalized as the number of calories consumed by the participant.
Observational (Obtrusive Versus Unobtrusive) Method
This same research question could be tested using an observational research
method approach as well. An observational design involves observing and
recording human behavior in a natural environment. Two types of observational designs exist: the obtrusive design and the unobtrusive design.
Participants in obtrusive designs are informed that their behavior is being
viewed or monitored, whereas those participants in an unobtrusive design are
unaware that their behavior is being recorded or observed. As you can imagine there are advantages and disadvantages to both designs. With an obtrusive design, the participant knows that he or she is being observed and may
feel obligated to change his or her behavior so that it is a socially desirable
behavior. This action possibly confirms the researcher’s hypothesis. However,
participants in an unobtrusive design are unaware that they are in a study and
will probably give the researcher a true glimpse of their unstaged behavior.
(A prominent disadvantage of the unobtrusive approach though is the ethical issue of recording an individual’s behavior without their consent.)
A researcher who wants to use the unobtrusive observational approach
to study the previous research question might use a fast food restaurant,
where the calorie count of each menu item is printed on the wrapper. With
this knowledge, the researcher would position him- or herself in the restaurant for a 2-hour period and observe all patrons who are dining alone in the
restaurant. For each patron, the researcher would record the items that he or
she had on their tray and whether that person ate all items. Then, the next day
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during the same time period, that researcher would observe all individuals
who had one or more individuals dining with them at their table. Again
the researcher would record the items on the target participant’s tray and
whether he or she ate all of the meal items. Ideally, the mean number of calories consumed by individuals dining alone would be significantly less than
the number of calories consumed by patrons dining with one or more individuals.
Food Record Data
This same research question can be investigated using food records. This
retrospective method involves asking the research participants to record their
eating behavior at a certain point during the day. Usually the researcher provides the participants with a journal or a food log for each day of the week
with preprinted questions to be answered (e.g., how many individuals were
present at the table for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner?). The researcher
would also have the participant record what they ate at each meal as well as
the quantity. One disadvantage to food record data is that it is retrospective
and this type of data can be subject to several memory errors on the part of
the participant, such as forgetting, bias recall, and socially desirable responding. Research indicates that participants completing food records underreport their actual food intake by 27 to 46 percent.4 However, in defense
of using food records, research also indicates that participants lose more
weight when food records are kept. In addition, the researcher would be obtaining real life and daily information from the participant, whereas, in an
experimental study, the situation is artificially contrived; the results of the
study would have lower generalizability to daily life situations and behavior.
Experience Sampling
A newer research method that can be used to test research questions is the
experience sampling method. This method involves alerting participants
at variable intervals during the day to stop their current behavior and record
it immediately on a printed template that the researcher has provided.
Typically, the participants are given pagers to wear and are beeped at various intervals throughout the day (sometimes up to a half a dozen times).
The participants are unaware of when they will be beeped during the day and
are asked to carry on with their daily life as usual. Experience sample studies can last from 1 day to a month or more. Experience sampling is one of
the optimal ways psychologists have of obtaining a participant’s natural
minute-to-minute behavior. One disadvantage to this technique is that
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some participants have been known to experience “beeper anxiety” and stop
all daily activities in anticipation of the beeper going off, much to the researcher’s dismay.
Survey Data (Self Report Versus Peer Data)
One of the most common (and sometimes overused) research methods that
psychologists implement is the survey method. Surveys can typically consist
of open-ended questions (e.g., Write down everything you ate for breakfast),
fixed option questions (e.g., How many calories did you consume for breakfast? A. 0–100; B. 101–200; C. 201–300, etc.) or food frequency checklists
(e.g., Place a checkmark next to each food item on the list that you consumed during your last meal).
Survey data is usually completed by the participant and this is known as
self data. As one can surmise, there are advantages and disadvantages to
having the target participant complete a survey. One advantage to having
the participant complete a survey is the participant knows themselves better
than anyone else. The participant is indeed the best expert regarding themselves and their personal experiences with their own eating behaviors.
However, as mentioned earlier, participants are sometimes subject to forgetting information and of course embellishing information in order to
look more socially acceptable to the researcher.
Due to these factors, many researchers are now asking a well-acquainted
friend, peer, or family member to complete surveys about the participant;
this type of data is known as informant data.5 By having not only the participant’s perspective about their eating behavior, but that of a good acquaintance as well, a clearer picture of the target participant’s behavior will
hopefully come into view for the researcher. However, just as self data can
be tainted by various factors, so too can informant data. Friends and family
members may not have experienced every situation with the target participant or they could bring bias recall into the survey data as well. For these
reasons, it is important when gathering survey data to use an increasingly
popular method that industrial/organizational psychologists (psychologist
who study human behavior in the workplace) use: 360-degree feedback.6
When these psychologists evaluate employees’ performance in the workplace, they typically gather survey data about the employee’s performance
from everyone who interacts with the employee on a daily or weekly basis
(e.g., customers, coworkers, a supervisor, and the employee’s subordinates)
as well as the employee themselves. Each perspective gives the researcher
another piece of the target participant’s overall behavior in various situations. These perspectives are sometimes averaged to give the participant
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Chapter 1: The Discipline of Psychology and Nutrition Adherence
an overall performance evaluation score. Three hundred and sixty degree
feedback is also very applicable to the field of nutrition. This method will
allow the researcher to gather more information about the target subject’s
eating behavior that he or she may not be even aware of, but can be clearly
seen from the vantage point of a peer or family member. The more perspectives that a researcher can obtain about a target participant’s behavior;
the more likely she or he will accrue valid and reliable data.
Multiple Method Approach
With numerous methods to choose from to test research questions, one is
left to wonder which approach is the best. There is clearly no one methodological approach that is superior to the others. However, what is advocated in the field of psychology is to examine research questions from
multiple approaches and to utilize multiple methods.7 If the results from an
experimental study, a survey study, and a food record data study all confirm
that indeed people are more likely to consume more calories at a meal when
other diners are present at the table, researchers can feel more confident that
this phenomenon is a robust occurrence and the results can be extrapolated to other populations of individuals in a variety of eating contexts.
However, if this finding was confirmed through only a series of experimental studies, the generalizability of the phenomenon occurring outside
of the laboratory would be tenuous at best. Ultimately, utilizing multiple research methods to test a research question will give a more complete and
truthful picture of human nature than will the reliance on one methodological approach.
THEORE TICAL PERSPEC TIVES
Through the years, several major theoretical perspectives have been developed to account for the factors that drive human behavior. Some of the
most prominent theoretical perspectives include cognitive, biological, behavioral, evolutionary, psychoanalytic, humanistic, and the trait theory. We
will give an overview of each of these perspectives, because the strategies
on nutrition adherence given in the upcoming chapters will be based upon
combinations of these psychological perspectives.
The Cognitive Perspective
Psychologists who adopt the cognitive perspective believe or research the role
that our cognitions (thoughts), perceptions, emotions, and motivation
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processes fuel our behavior. To illustrate this perspective, suppose a psychologist wanted to investigate the reason behind the finding that hot colors such as red, orange, and bright yellow are known to stimulate human
mood and appetite.8 As cognitive psychologists, they would start by examining participants’ thoughts and perceptions when shown various colors.
They might also explore participants’ differences in priming. Priming refers
to concepts that have been recently activated or cued by something that
happened today and are quick to come to mind with even only a little
stimulus.9 Participants who have just watched a food-related commercial on
television or passed by the vibrant colors of a McDonald’s or Burger King
restaurant are considered primed to eat; when shown a bright vibrant color,
this might stimulate feelings of hunger.
Emotions are another cognitive process that can be examined with regard to stimulating appetite. Emotions can be defined as a set of mental and
physical procedures that one learns through inner experiences. For some individuals, emotional change can be a stimulus for appetite; in other individuals, a particular eating pattern may elicit positive reinforcing emotions.
For example, a working mother may come home after an 8-hour work day,
cook dinner for her family, help her children with homework, throw a load
of clothes in the washer, prepare her children’s lunches for the next day,
and put her children to bed. When she finally has time to relax, she gets a
bowl of ice cream and sits down in front of the TV. Eating the ice cream
initiates positive pleasurable emotions and helps her to relax. Therefore, she
may begin to develop a pattern of eating ice cream every night after her
children are in bed in order to stimulate those same emotions. Conversely,
emotions can serve either as antecedents to eating behavior or as by-products
of such behavior.
Cognitive psychologists are also fascinated by how much of human behavior can be attributed to an individual’s constant efforts to achieve his or
her goals. Whether a goal is short term or long term, an individual’s life is
characterized by what Eric Klinger (1981) calls current concerns.10 A current
concern is an ongoing motivation that persists in one’s mind until the goal
is either attained or the goal is abandoned. Many current concerns can
bring arousing emotions to mind as well. Suppose an individual had the
long-term goal of drinking eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day. This individual’s current concern during each day would likely be “Have I been keeping
up with my intended water intake?” If, during the course of the day, he perceives he is not on the path to attaining his goal, then certain emotions
will be aroused (e.g., frustration, anxiety). As you can see, many of our cognitive processes naturally interact with one another and ultimately preempt
our behavior, or relevant to this text, our eating behavior.
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The Biological Perspective
Researchers who advocate the biological perspective delve into the theory
that our brain anatomy, neurophysiology, and genes influence our behavior. Thanks to modern technology (e.g., EEG machines, PET scanners and
MRI scans) we are able to examine the brain’s anatomy to understand its relationship to the brain and our behavior. Through technology, it has been
discovered that just about every structure of the brain is related to our personality in some way. However, the interactions between various structures
of the brain and its effects on our mind and behavior are just beginning to
be studied and understood.
Another area that biopsychologists, psychologists who analyze how the
brain and its neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, are concerned with
is the extent to which our biochemistry (e.g., neurotransmitters and hormones) is responsible for our personalities and behavior, particularly eating
behavior. Studies from the University of Minnesota–St. Paul and the
University of British Columbia–Vancouver provide relevant examples of the relationship between our biochemistry and our eating patterns. Researchers
from these universities have confirmed that women get hungrier during
the 2 weeks following ovulation (usually days 14 to 28 of the menstrual
cycle).11 That is when the body’s metabolic rate climbs, most likely in response to an increased secretion of the hormone progesterone, which causes
the body to burn calories at a faster rate and in turn intensifies appetite.
Researchers are also discovering hormones and neurotransmitters produced by fat cells and the gastrointestinal tract. They believe these hormones and neurotransmitters act upon the hypothalamus and
communicate with the brain influencing satiety and appetite. For example, the hormone leptin is manufactured in fat cells and in the stomach.12
It signals the brain that the body has a sufficient storage of energy (fat) and
suppresses appetite. Leptin is also manufactured by cells in the stomach
when food is consumed and affects levels of satiety. Researchers believe that
some individuals, due to their physiological or genetic makeup, may not
produce leptin at all, produce it in an insufficient amount, or produce too
much but have a resistance to it. These individuals, therefore, have difficulty
recognizing feelings of satiety, consume more calories than their body requires, and develop obesity. Another hormone, ghrelin, is manufactured by
cells in the stomach.13 It stimulates appetite and promotes body fat storage.
This hormone also plays a role in sleep regulation. A person who gets an insufficient amount of sleep will manufacture more ghrelin which in turn
stimulates appetite. It is theorized that some people may genetically or
biochemically be inclined to produce more or less of these hormones that
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affect appetite stimulation and satiety signals and ultimately, regulation of
body weight.14
It is also important to note that our environments can affect the biochemistry in our bodies. Individuals who are facing serious environmental
stressors induce their bodies into a state of flight or fight. In this state, the
body typically responds by cutting off the digestive process in order to conserve energy and thus decreasing one’s desire to eat. On the other hand,
chronic stress caused by work, low socioeconomic status, and depression are
associated with an increased risk of obesity, particularly in women.15 Obesity
is associated with inflammation and it is found that obese humans have increased blood levels of various cytokines, blood markers of inflammation,
during times of stress. Researchers are just beginning to understand the interactions between environmental triggers and human biochemistry and
the effect that they have on eating behaviors.
The Behavioral Perspective
Behavioral psychologists view human behavior as stemming from the rewards and punishments from our past or current environments.16 The
philosophical roots of behaviorism are planted in empiricism, which is the
belief that all knowledge comes from experience and also that of associationism, which is the idea that paired stimuli will come to be regarded as one.
So, from these philosophical roots, we can see the logic that behaviorism is
also referred to as the learning perspective. Learning is termed as any change
in behavior that results from experience. The behaviorist perspective embraces several basic principles of learning including habituation, classical
conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning, which will be discussed in greater detail in upcoming chapters.
If a behaviorist was to account for how certain colors were responsible for
stimulating our appetites, she would likely look back at our past experiences with color. She might be able to trace an individual whose appetite is
stimulated each time he sees the color yellow to the fact that when growing
up, this person’s kitchen and dining room were predominantly furnished
in hues of yellow. Through countless mealtime pairings of food being prepared and eaten in a yellow environment, this individual would have learned
that the color yellow signals that food is present or is about to be ingested.
His body, after these many learning trials, has learned that the color yellow
signals food and his body then reacts by stimulating the appetite. Many
times much of our learning takes place under our conscious radar and it is
only after retracing our past experiences and environments can we piece together how that behavior was learned and its origins.
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The Evolutionary Perspective
The evolutionary perspective is an extension of the theorizing that began
with Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species (1859).17 Darwin’s theories and book
compared one species of animal or plant to another to explain the functional
significance of various aspects of anatomy and behavior. Recently, psychologists have been extrapolating this same kind of theorizing and reasoning to human behavior. The evolutionary perspective assumes that
behaviors seen in people today are present because these behaviors were
necessary for survival. In other words, the more a behavior helps an individual to survive or reproduce, the more likely the behavior is to occur in
future generations.
An evolutionary psychologist who wanted to understand human eating
behavior might look at the survival significance of various eating patterns.
For instance, this psychologist might note the tendency for humans to consume more calories during the fall/harvest months when compared to the
spring and summer months.18 The psychologist, in keeping with the evolutionary perspective, would probably view this tendency as crucial to
human survival, in that it allowed humans to store up fat for the winter
months when food was scarce. Turning back to our original question concerning the ability of colors to stimulate human appetite, an evolutionary
psychologist would again look for the survival function that carefully discerning color produces. She might focus on how nature signifies healthy
fruits for us to eat through the use of vibrant colors (e.g., ripe red apples,
bright yellow bananas) and how these vibrant colors through time have
come to stimulate human appetite. Conversely, nature through the use of
color alerts us to which foods are dangerous and we should not eat (e.g.,
green mold, odd spots, less vibrant colors). Evolutionary psychologists
would argue that various eating patterns, though not adaptive presently,
were adaptive for human survival at some point in history.
The Psychoanalytic Perspective
The psychoanalytic perspective was developed by Sigmund Freud and posits
that most aspects of our mental life (e.g., thoughts, feelings, motives, and the
resulting behavior) are unconscious, which is why we have a difficult time understanding our own behavior.19 Freud theorized that forbidden impulses
and desires in our unconscious mind are responsible for our everyday behavior. He believed that many of these impulses were developed during stages
that we passed through in early childhood and it is only after getting in
touch with the unconscious portion of the mind can one uncover the roots
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of their behavior. Freud used techniques such as hypnosis and free association with words to uncover some of the impulses and desires stirring under
the conscious radar. By bringing these impulses and desires to the surface,
one can resolve these maladaptive behaviors.
Freud also focused much of his studies on the topic of internal and external anxiety. Freud coined the term psychic conflict as a state of anxiety
when our mind is battling itself; in other words, when our desires are battling our morals of what is right and wrong. Freud discussed a variety of
tools that our minds use to keep our anxiety levels within a tolerable range,
whether the anxiety was internally generated or from stressors of the external world. One of the simplest defense mechanism is denial—where one
simply refuses to acknowledge the source of anxiety. Rationalization is
another defense mechanism that we use to keep stress a bay. If we have undertaken some sort of shameless behavior, we concoct a seemingly rational
case for why we had to undertake that behavior. A psychoanalytic psychologist, who was examining dysfunctional eating behavior, would likely try to
uncover the source of anxiety, while looking at the defense mechanisms
used to cope with it. We will discuss these defense mechanisms in detail in
upcoming chapters and their interplay with eating behavior.
Freud had many protégés who built on his ideas relating to the roots of
human behavior. One in particular, Mary Ainsworth, put forth the idea
that much of our behavior is due to how we were attached at birth to
2 years of age to our primary caregiver, typically our mother.20 Ainsworth
believed that our attachment style predicted much of our future behavior
in life. Children who developed what Ainsworth calls a “secure attachment
style” to their mothers and felt comfortable that she would meet their needs,
would display well-adjusted behavior throughout life, confident faith in
themselves, and form secure attachments with their future romantic partners. However, children who had an “anxious-ambivalent attachment style”
to their mothers, and felt that she was not always there to meet their needs,
would potentially display neurotic behavior and have dysfunctional future
relationships with others. Children who formed “avoidant” relationships
with their caregivers, usually came from homes where they had been rebuffed in their attempts to enjoy contact with their primary caregiver. These
individuals, Ainsworth believed, would have a hard time in life coping with
stress and would be more likely to deny that it exists. Psychologists who
foster this perspective of human behavior examine eating behavior as a byproduct of the attachment style that the target individual developed with
their primary caregiver. The psychoanalytic perspective is a complex interplay of unconscious components, yet much of it revolves around the issue
of tension and anxiety.
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The Humanistic Perspective
Another way of accounting for the forces that drive human behavior is the humanistic perspective. Advocates of this theory believe that every human being
is uniquely different in the experiences that they have encountered throughout life.21 Through these experiences, each person develops their own constructs or lens through which they interpret their surroundings; this lens is
ultimately responsible for their behavior. Humanistic psychologists focus in
on our unique experience of the world called our construal. Construals are interpretations rather than direct reflections of reality; they can be freely chosen and different from anyone else’s. Humanistic psychologists strongly believe
that only after you have “walked in another person’s shoes” or experienced
their unique view of reality can you begin to understand what drives their
behavior. More specifically, if one were to utilize the same constructs and
perspective on life as the target participant, then one could develop an understanding of the forces that are driving that individual’s behavior.
When working to find the types of lens that the target participant views
the world through, humanistic psychologists use a technique termed unconditional positive regard. Unconditional positive regard is giving respect and
affirmation to the target participant regardless of what they believe or say
as they are revealing their own construct system and the lens through which
they process the world. Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, two humanistic
psychologists who began their research in the 1950s, believe that a person’s
ultimate need or motive in life is to self-actualize, which is to maintain and
enhance life. Maslow, however, believed that before one could begin to selfactualize, they need to have their basic needs met (e.g., food, water, safety, a
sense of belonging, and esteem).22 Rogers and Maslow advocated that the
optimal way to live is to accurately perceive the world without neurotic
distortion: If you take responsibility for the choices that you make, you will
become a fully functioning person. A fully functioning person faces the
world without fear, self-doubt, and neurotic defenses. The only way to develop into this type of individual is to receive unconditional positive regard
and affirmation from the important people in your life, such as your parents, relatives, and friends.
A humanistic psychologist researching eating behavior would examine
two important aspects of an individual’s life: “Have their basic needs been
met?” and “Have they received unconditional positive regard and affirmation from those they value?” If the answer is “no” to these two questions, then meeting the individual’s basic needs and making sure those
around him provide unconditional positive regard would be a humanistic psychologist’s prescription for any type of abnormal eating behavior,
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because these aspects are obstructing the individual from becoming fully
functional.
The Trait Perspective
The last perspective that will be incorporated in this text is the trait perspective. Trait psychologists believe that individuals differ in their characteristic patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior; these patterns are called
personality traits. In fact, personality traits are such an important part of
life, Allport and his graduate student Odbert (1936) researched the dictionary and complied a list of 17,953 words in the English language that describe an individual’s personality.23 Trait psychologists hold the belief that
individual behavior is the result of each person’s unique and dynamic traits.
Many trait proponents generally believe that biological influences, such as
genes and prenatal hormones, produce children with particular childhood
temperaments; some children are active and aggressive, while others are
quieter. However, it is through life experiences that these temperament styles
are molded into individual stable traits (e.g., is outgoing, is shy). The ultimate goal of trait psychologists is to predict future human behavior accurately and to increase our understanding of the reasons for human behavior.
A Perspective Controversy
No one perspective can account for all types of human behavior 100 percent
of the time, but it is important to be open to the idea that these perspectives interact with one another to account for and predict human behavior.
This idea that theoretical perspectives can interact with one another was a
rather novel idea about 40 years in the history of the field.
In 1968, a prominent psychologist at Stanford University named Walter
Mischel published a controversial book entitled Personality and Assessment.24
In his book, Mischel argued that human behavior is extremely inconsistent
from one situation to another; because of that, researchers cannot accurately assess an individual with personality traits. There was a prominent
debate between research psychologists concerning what causes a person’s
behavior. Some researchers firmly believed that human behavior is solely
based upon personality-related thoughts, while other researchers upheld
that the situation a person finds him- or herself in causes their behavior.
The researchers argued for about 20 years on this subject (later titled The
Person-Situation Debate). Based on the results of several studies, they came
to one conclusion: A person’s behavior in a particular situation is best
predicted by an interaction or combination of the person’s traits and
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the situational circumstances.25 Similarly, psychologists who study human
eating behavior have also concluded that individual and environmental
factors interact together to influence eating behaviors.
THE LAYOUT OF THE TEXTBOOK
During the course of this textbook, we will closely examine these psychological perspectives that are believed to drive human (eating) behavior. Within
each chapter, you will become acquainted with research findings that illustrate
the basis for eating patterns relevant to that particular psychological perspective. The latter half of each chapter will consist of tangible illustrations
of psychological strategies known to counteract dysfunctional eating patterns so one can adhere to healthy and/or prescribed eating patterns.
As stated earlier, it is fortunate that today we have a plethora of knowledge about human dietary needs and imbalances. This information can live
up to its lifesaving potential when coupled with the field of psychology because the time is ripe for a merger between nutrition and psychology. The
field of psychology provides a logical lens through which to understand
human eating patterns and an optimal vehicle to disseminate strategies of
nutrition adherence.
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